Bo Nickal responds to fan criticism ahead of return at UFC 322

UFC prospect Bo Nickal has given his thoughts on those who have criticized him since his loss to Reinier de Ridder.

For a while after entering the promotion, Bo Nickal was seen by many as the next big thing. Sure, some wondered just how far he could go, but his amateur wrestling background alone was enough to intrigue the masses and keep them invested in what he was going to do next. However, after his one-sided loss at the hands of Reinier de Ridder, a lot of people have been quick to go after Bo on social media and in interviews.

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Nickal, to his credit, has largely stayed out of the limelight since then, attempting to rebuild himself in the gym before trying to go back in there and prove himself in the cage. In his next fight at UFC 322, he will go head to head with Rodolfo Vieira in a bout that was relegated from the main card to the prelims.

In a recent interview, Nickal responded to some of the criticism he’s been receiving and how he feels about it.

Bo Nickal’s view on fan criticism heading into UFC 322

“I think any time there’s criticism, you can take it personally and let it be a hit to your ego or you can look at it and analyze it and try to be unbiased,” Nickal said during UFC 322 media day. “I feel like a lot of the stuff, there’s some truth to it. You can maybe look at it that way or perceive it that way and maybe there is a little truth there. But I feel like it’s really lacking the whole picture.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to live my life the way I want to live my life. So nobody’s going to tell me what to do or how to do it. I’m going to make those decisions and do what I think is best for me personally. But that being said, I think that I don’t really approach the critics and observation of what they’re saying with malice or I feel like these people are attacking me, it’s me against them. It’s more just like try to observe it in an unbiased way and maybe there is some truth to that.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting